Inside or out

My French granny says it is more hygienic to poo in a big hole in the garden, like she did when she was growing up, than it is to go inside. Is this true? She also said that in olden days, people collected pee and used it to make plants grow better. Could we do this now?

• It was urine, not excrement, that was collected in barrels in 18th-century London and shipped to the alum industry in Whitby (24 February). The excrement, or night soil, was collected separately and sold to market gardens in east London and Essex.

Derek …

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